Obstructive Defecation Syndrome or ODS is a chronic condition suffered by thousands of people, more so women than men. The primary symptom is severe constipation, a situation where bowel movements occur less than 3 times a week and the stool is hard or painful to pass. In general, those who are chronically afflicted require assistance from laxatives or enemas in order to achieve even a semblance of normal defecation. A symptom is more of a warning and not necessarily the underlying cause of a condition. Houston colorectal surgeons are the type of medical specialist to seek out for a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of ODS.

The human digestive tract is a marvel of waste management engineering. When functioning properly, food is digested, compacted into waste and eliminated. A disruption of any one of these processes creates a breakdown in normal functioning. The basic premise centers on what goes in, must come out. Human waste contains toxins that, if stored or not fully eliminated, breakdown inside of the body causing health issues ranging from bloating and cramping, up to serious infection or even cancer.

As with any engineering malfunction, diagnosing and repairing the core of the problem is essential to restoring optimal function. This is also the case with breakdowns in human body engineering. As a result, a great deal of importance is placed on the diagnostic skills of colorectal specialists, especially for ODS. This is due to the fact that there are a number of causal factors that can individually, or in combination with one another, be the source of chronic constipation. In some cases, minimally invasive diagnostic procedures such as a flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy or defecating proctogram are recommended.

A Houston colon doctor specializing in disorders of the pelvic floor is trained in diagnosing multiple factors that contribute to problems within this area of the body. The pelvic floor consists of a number of muscles that serve to provide support for the rectum. Problems with these muscles may be a contributing factor in defecatory dysfunction. These may include: Interssusception, a sliding of one part of the rectum into another, Rectocele, a bulge created when the rectum presses against the back vaginal wall and Enterocele, an intestinal hernia. The physical trauma of childbirth on the pelvic floor is a one of the reasons why women are more prone to these disorders than men. Multiple births in particular, can result in muscular damage in the area between the vaginal wall and the anal canal.

Colorectal surgery in Houston can correct this damage, as well as other disorders of the pelvic floor through minimally invasive surgical procedures. One such MIS procedure is laparoscopy. Laparoscopic colon and rectal surgery allows for a significant reduction in surgical trauma, leading to less post-operative pain and shorter periods for recovery.
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